Dalata Hotel Group has agreed the €21m sale of its Clayton Whites Hotel, in Wexford town, to Neville Hotels.
The announcement comes just a week after Dalata – which owns the Clayton and Maldron hotel brands – completed the sale of its other Wexford property – the Maldron Hotel Wexford – to Neville Hotels.
The group had already said it was in negotiations over the sale of Whites Hotel.
Dalata has operated Whites Hotel since 2009 and took ownership of it in 2014, since when it has been called Clayton Whites Hotel Wexford.
Dermot Crowley, CEO of Dalata Hotel Group commented: “The Clayton Whites Hotel Wexford has been a significant part of Dalata’s journey, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team there for all their hard work and commitment. The hotel has a strong management team in place and a proven track record of strong performance, providing me with confidence that it will continue to excel as part of Neville Hotels. Our focus now is to ensure a smooth and positive transition, providing support to our colleagues throughout this period of change.
“As the leading hotel operator in Ireland – a strategic market for the business – we remain committed to delivering industry leading hospitality for our guests across all of our hotels.”
Dalata said Clayton Whites Hotel Wexford is a strongly performing hotel with an experienced management team in place. Under the terms of the transaction, the Clayton Whites Hotel Wexford will transfer to Neville Hotels, with Dalata commencing a comprehensive process of employee engagement to ensure a seamless transition.
As previously announced, substantially all of the net proceeds from this transaction and the sale of Maldron Hotel Wexford, are being returned to shareholders through Dalata’s current share buyback programme, which was announced last month. Dalata also stressed it remains committed to the Irish market.
The Irish hotel group is also growing in the UK and in mainland Europe, where it already has a small presence in Germany and the Netherlands.
